The cool girl’s guide to Valentine’s Day
14 romantic things to eat, do, buy, wear etc that won’t make you want to throw up
There’s no way around it, Valentine’s Day is inherently naff. But it doesn’t have to be. And if this has arrived too late for your own V Day plans, then just bookmark it for any occasion when you need to inject a bit of romance into your life. It can work all year round.
1. If you’re cooking at home, make it spaghetti carbonara
Surely one of the sexiest meals ever eaten on screen is the post-coital bowl of carbonara that Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep share in bed in Nora Ephron’s Heartburn? Ideal for V Day. It takes no time (you don’t want to be in the kitchen for long on such an occasion) and it’s pure indulgent comfort food. The scene in the film perfectly captures the headiness of the first days of a new relationship. If you've been together for a while, there’s no harm in trying to recreate that, is there? This is a trusty version.
2. Hit Satan’s Whiskers
The sexiest date night spot for cocktails in London is Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green. There’s a reason this place repeatedly comes up on TopJaw. Even Charli XCX declared it her favourite cocktail bar when she appeared on it (she gets “any of the vodka drinks”). The cocktails really are outrageously good, the decor is moody and retro with some edgy details like taxidermy, they do great small plates to share and there’s table service, a rare treat in London bars.
3. Take some date night inspo from Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
In 2017, Jane relayed her first ever date with Serge in 1968 to Grazia. In short, they have dinner at Régine in Paris, then hit the dancefloor there. Then they go to Russian nightclub Rasputin where Serge makes them all play violin before getting in a taxi to another club called the Calvados where all the musicians are South American. Next they hit a drag nightclub called Madame Arthur where they stay until 3am before going to a market that is just opening in the early hours where Serge gives champagne to all the butchers with carcasses on their backs. Finally they retire to the Hilton hotel where Serge passes out drunk. Jane then leaves the hotel room to go to a nearby record store to buy an LP of one of the songs they’d been dancing to that night before returning to put it in between Serge’s toes and going back to her place.
Sorry but that’s a date.